Bucs respond to claims from Dexter Jackson

Posted by Mike Florio on October 21, 2013, 8:03 AM EDT

AP

In the wake of Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, which dropped the Buccaneers to 0-6, comments emerged from Super Bowl XXXVII MVP Dexter Jackson regarding his experiences with Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano and his staff.

And the Buccaneers have decided, after several weeks of taking punches, to respond.

“Schiano sent his guy over to run me out of practice one day,” Dexter Jackson told 98.7 The Fan on Sunday morning, via Deadspin. “This guy said, ‘Who are you? What are you doing here? You can’t be here.’ I said, ‘Go get the Glazers if you want me to leave.’ He [Schiano] tried to run me out.”

The Buccaneers, via Director of Communications Nelson Luis, offered more details regarding the incident, which Jackson claimed happened this year. The Bucs contend it occurred in 2012.

“Dexter showed up unannounced at the facility during a Saturday walk thru before our game against the Philadelphia Eagles last season,” Luis told PFT via email. “Because he wasn’t expected, one of the football staffers, who had never met Dexter, approached him and asked if he could help him. Dexter said that he was a former player and that he had been told he could come out whenever he wanted. The staffer explained that we would be happy to have him out at the facility but that the usual protocol with former players is to tell us they are coming. Dexter was allowed to stay for the remainder of practice and actually spent a few minutes after practice on the field with a couple of the players and was formally introduced to Coach Schiano.”

Jackson also claimed that the team told him to stop bringing children to the facility.

“I usually bring kids to One Buc Place, fourth and fifth graders in Hillsborough County and Pinellas County doing my case management work with a lot of youth in this area,” Jackson said. “They told me to stop bringing kids on Friday because I’m distracting professional players. I’m distracting professional players by bringing kids who have succeeded in school, did well, stayed out of trouble, and they’re a distraction? If they’re a distraction, I’m worried about fans during away games. How can that be a distraction?”

The Buccaneers explained that the issue isn’t bringing kids to the facility. The issue is bringing them to the facility on days when players are present.

“We have an established community program that allows select groups of elementary school students to take tours of One Buccaneer Place as an incentive program,” Luis said. “The tours are conducted on Tuesdays because that is the player’s day off and allows access to many of the most compelling areas of the facility such as the locker room, training room, weight room, etc. The Buccaneer organization is deeply committed to children and education as the core of our community relations platforms and coach Schiano has been supportive of our efforts in those areas. . . .

“We would have been happy to work with Dexter to find an appropriate day and time to assist him with the commendable work he is doing with his children in the community. However, Fridays during the NFL season are an important day of final preparations for the upcoming game and would not be the ideal day to host a group of children.”

While it’s impossible to conclusively resolve this one absent hard evidence of what was said to Jackson and what Jackson said in response, it makes sense for the team to provide its version of the events. As the losses mount, more and more folks will jump on the anti-Schiano bandwagon, pushing it more quickly toward a destination that, with each additional defeat, is looking more and more inevitable.

Still, it’s important that anyone who throws darts at Schiano aim for accuracy. The picture painted by Jackson with broad strokes overlooks Schiano’s involvement in Family First’s All Pro Dad’s program, The Pepin Academy, Athletes in Action, and Metropolitan Ministries. Schiano also has purchased tickets for underprivileged children to home games over the past two seasons.

The Bucs have another home game on Thursday night against the Panthers. A long-awaited win would help quiet at least some of the noise.

Schiano is a psychopath, the sooner the Glazier’s sell the team the better.

ccjcsr says:Oct 21, 2013 8:36 AM

Train wreck organization!

geofferystevens says:Oct 21, 2013 8:37 AM

I remember the pick 6 but not this clown. The entitled attitude comes through in the comments. Once you are a former player what makes you think you can show up “any time I want” skrew going tobget the Glazers Tampa PD who he should have called.

He looks like the actor Michael Rooker, who usually plays some scoundrel (think Rowdy from Day of Thunder)

bleedgreen says:Oct 21, 2013 8:42 AM

You can’t bring kids to the facility if there’s players present? What the hell is the point then? They can see a football field at their school. You goto a professional football field to see professional football players and a chance to meet the guys you see on TV every week.

I don’t know what’s going on but I know we aren’t winning games and look out coached in every game. gotta go Schiano, hopefully after the thursday night game. Make Wandstadt the interim or Davis. If Dominik needs to go to do it at the end of the year. But keeping Schiano until the end is a disservice to all Tampa fans and the community. Imagine the stories when he’s finally gone and the players start speaking up, gonna be bad.

the damage to schiano has been done. free agents will avoid TB, or the bucs will have to overpay for FA. 0-6, staph infections, former and current player dissent…where there is smoke there is fire and the entire staff should be replaced immediately – get a start on 2014, as 2013 is dead and buried.

I apologize for the various errors in my previous post, that will be the last time I attempt to post something from my phone. Now I know what it’s like to be Schiano, I feel like an ass and everyone hates me.

wferg1121 says:Oct 21, 2013 11:05 AM

I am glad you pointed out all the good programs that Schiano has contributed to Tampa, my opinion of him kept dropping as I was reading. In saying that I agree with bleedgreen, what’s the big deal with kids showing up? as long as they were not interrupting practice… The players/Bucs could take 5 minutes of their time as they are leaving the practice field, or if necessary communicate that to Jackson… If you are a business which the Bucs are, they should see these kids as future customers. This is how kids becomes fans and eventually will buy jerseys/tickets etc…

Sounds like Dexter Jackson wants to do whatever he wants whenever he wants when it comes to being at practice. How about the courtesy of a phone call? If every former player just stopped by anytime with whoever he wanted to bring, there would be chaos.

mikebrownistheworstownerinprosports says:Oct 21, 2013 11:07 AM

That franchise has fallen apart and needs new leadership. This isn’t the first time players have revolted against a Bucs HC. I’m pretty sure it happened with Raheem Morris and Jon Gruden as well. Then you have the staph infection stuff. What a mess.

mrlaloosh says:Oct 21, 2013 11:43 AM

Tampa vs. Carolina on Thursday Night Football? No wonder the NFL is trying to dump these games on a network. Baseball will probably get a better rating for the World Series. What a snooze Fest.

classiefreddieblassie says:Oct 21, 2013 12:07 PM

How would Dexter Jackson benefit in any way from making these accusations if they weren’t true? At the very least he was put in a situation by an overzealous employee who thought they were doing the right thing. Whether Schiano had the employee go over and say it is up to speculation, but honestly, would any Bucs fan put it past this guy at this point. When stories came out about Schiano’s thermostat adjustments in the team meeting rooms and his input on the firmness of the pasta in the mess hall, I took it as a coach who was simply detail oriented and looking to get the best out of his players in every way possible. Now all I hear about is a coach who throws players under the bus because he can’t adjust his coaching schemes and kicking the team’s only Super Bowl MVP out of a practice session. This MAY be acceptable behavior if the guy could actually coach a very talented team to just one W. But he can’t even do that. Regardless of when the Glazers decide to eject this guy from the building (along with the GM) they are going to have a lot of PR damage control to take care of.

So anyone with a group of kids can make it past security at the gate, through the facility, and out around the walkthrough before game day? I find that very hard to believe. On top of that The Buccaneers decide to make a statement on situations and distractions that happened last year? Go Tampa Bay Rutgerneers!

I have been to a practice years ago at one Buc place. They had a grandstand off the field. You watched and at some point the coach (Dungy) came over said hello, answers a few questions. The players did their thing and back then generally won more than they lost. It is entertainment not military training.

Man, the HITS just keep on comin for our Bucs. The question is not if Schiano will be fired..its when? Whether the perception Schiano is a less than honest person or a bad coach is true or not..it is there and persist. So far the..Schiano way is 0-6 and will be 0-7 after Thursday night. Enough is enough Glazers. You made a mistake. its ok..cause you’re the owners. But stop torturing us fans. Don’t make us beg..SHOW SCHIANO..THE DOE!!! (Door)